Flavio Briatore

Briatore reveals he contracted COVID-19 in December

Sam Hall Wednesday 25 March 2020 16:51

Briatore reveals he contracted COVID-19 in December

Former Formula 1 team boss Flavio Briatore says that he contracted the coronavirus in December, but that health organisations were not treating the virus seriously at that point.

Briatore has told the Italian television network La7 that his doctor informed him that an illness suffered in December 2019 was likely an early case of coronavirus - the 69-year old having made a full recovery.

“I was ill in December. I had a very high fever, lung pain and difficulty breathing." said Briatore. “It lasted a total of 10 days. My doctor and I couldn’t understand what was happening. I took X-rays and a CT scan and we could see shadows on the lungs.

“After the virus broke out in Italy, my doctor told me I must have coronavirus, but luckily it’s gone away now."

Given the recent and dramatic upturn in cases of the virus, the global pandemic seeing normal life halted for much of the global population, Briatore believes that governments should have listened to advice offered by the World Health Organisation (WHO) before the situation escalated to the current levels being seen.

“Everyone really underestimated this virus," added Briatore. "Nobody took it seriously. The WHO (World Health Organization) told everyone in January to be prepared, but no one did. It was a mistake on the part of the various governments."

Latest News

Latest F1 News

Verstappen reveals F1 RETIREMENT hint

2 minutes ago

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton drops Mercedes BOMBSHELL ahead of Las Vegas GP

47 minutes ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

F1 star reveals DEPORTATION threat at Las Vegas Grand Prix

1 hour ago

Latest F1 News

FIA introduce MANDATORY rule change at Las Vegas Grand Prix

2 hours ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

F1 Practice Today: Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule, TV channel and live stream

3 hours ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

How the Las Vegas Grand Prix was ROCKED by drain covers

Today 16:48

More news

F1 Race Calendar 2024

GP AUSTRIA 28 - 30 Jun

George Russell

GP GREAT BRITAIN 5 - 7 Jul

Lewis Hamilton

GP HUNGARY 19 - 21 Jul

Oscar Piastri

GP BELGIUM 26 - 28 Jul

Lewis Hamilton

GP NETHERLANDS 23 - 25 Aug

Lando Norris

GP ITALY 30 Aug - 1 Sep

Charles Leclerc

GP AZERBAIJAN 13 - 15 Sep

Oscar Piastri

GP SINGAPORE 20 - 22 Sep

Lando Norris

GP USA 18 - 20 Oct

Charles Leclerc

GP MEXICO 25 - 27 Oct

GP QATAR 29 Nov - 1 Dec

GP ABU DHABI 6 - 8 Dec

Complete kalender 2024

F1 News 24/7

Races

About GPFans

GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.

We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.

Follow us on your favorite social media channel

Corporate & Media

Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860

CHOOSE YOUR COUNTRY

Briatore reveals he contracted COVID-19 in December

Briatore reveals he contracted COVID-19 in December